It’s hard being the favorites. Especially after failing to get to the Super Bowl after another 11+ win season, but here we are. The Bills are the favorites to win the AFC during the 2025 season and having the reigning MVP at quarterback certainly doesn’t Buffalo fly under the radar.
But there is good reason for optimism surrounding the Bills. Josh Allen is in the prime of his career, and the Bills have won 10 or more games in six consecutive seasons. They are among the biggest divisional favorites in the league, and Brandon Beane has done a great job of adding defensive talent to the roster this offseason. And yet, not everyone is convinced that they should be taken seriously in the AFC.
The "overrated" labels have started for Bills
In a recent article by Mike Jones of The Athletic, he named the most overrated and underrated teams heading into the 2025 season. The Bills were featured in the “overrated” section, primarily due to the uncertainty of the defense. Here is a snippet of why Jones believes the Bills are overrated going into training camp:
"Can a defense hit hard by injury in 2024 better support Allen and company this season? The Bills already know they’ll be without defensive linemen Michael Hoecht and Larry Ogunjobi for six games as both serve suspensions for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy. The team hopes free agent acquisition Joey Bosa can help bolster its pass rush, but the oft-injured Bosa already suffered a calf injury in May (he’s expected back for training camp). A shaky defense against Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson isn’t ideal."Mike Jones, The Athletic
The defense has been the biggest issue for the Bills in the postseason, and it’s up to Sean McDermott to turn things around. In their last five playoff losses, the defense has allowed an average of 33.2 points per game. They’ve played some excellent quarterbacks during the stretch (Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow), but allowing that many points is unacceptable.
While it’s true that Bosa is already banged up and the Bills will be without two backup defensive linemen for the first six weeks of the season, the only thing that matters for Buffalo is postseason success. As long as the defense is relatively healthy going into the playoffs, they should have an excellent chance of winning the conference.
But this is a huge year for McDermott. He is a defensive-minded head coach, but it’s the defense that has regularly been exposed in the postseason. Injuries and lack of talent can certainly be blamed, but they aren’t the sole reason why the unit has struggled. If the defense doesn’t hold up better in the 2025-2026 postseason, there will be some real questions about whether he is the right man for the job moving forward.
Buffalo is in a great spot going into the year, and they should be the favorites to be the No. 1 seed in the AFC and have home-field advantage throughout the postseason. Their overall talent might not be quite as good as Kansas City's or Baltimore's, but this is one of the best rosters in the league with a quarterback who can take over a game at any point. For that reason, it’s hard to call this team overrated. In fact, they might even be a little bit underrated, considering how consistent and successful they’ve been during the last six years.